bergamo Travel Guide :

Understand

Bergamo is a pretty town of some 120,000 people nestling in the foothills of the Alps. It was originally built as a defensive stronghold, and the sturdy walls still remain to divide the old Città Alta (upper town) and the sprawling, mostly 20th century Città Bassa (lower town).

Get in

Air

Bergamo is the location of the Orio al Serio International Airport (http://www.sacbo.it/) (BGY) (Phone number: +39035326323), an airport oriented around low-cost airlines (http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Discount_airlines_in_Europe). Buses to the city are € 1.25 per trip. You can find schedules and route maps on the site of the local mass transit authority (http://www.atb.bergamo.it). Cabs will take about 15mins and cost around €15.

Train

Bus

Regular buses to Milan. YOu can check schedules and fares on the website of Autostradale (http://www.autostradale.it). The trip takes approximately one hour, depending on traffic conditions.

Get around

The town is not large, and most of the sights can be seen comfortably on foot. To get from the Città Bassa up to the Città Alta can be quite tiring on foot, though, due to the steep and winding streets, but there is a funicolare (a kind of tram) linking the two parts of the town. You can see a map of bus routes, schedules and fares on the website of the local mass transit authority (http://www.atb.bergamo.it) (in Italian).

See

The Piazza Vecchia - the heart of the old town, displaying a mix of medieval and Renaissance architecture

The church of Santa Maria Maggiore

The Colleoni Chapel (Cappella Colleoni)

The Rocca - a walled stronghold which houses a museum

The Archeology Museum (Museo Archeologico)

The Science Museum (Museo Civico di Scienze)

The Donizetti Museum (Museo Donizettiano), Via Arena 9. Devoted to one of Bergamo's most famous sons, the composer Gaetano Donizetti

The Accademia Carrara (http://www.accademiacarrara.bergamo.it), one of Northern Italy's most important collections of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque paintings.

GAMeC (http://www.gamec.it), the city's gallery of modern and contemporary art, which usually hosts several interesting exhibitions.

Do

Ride the funicolare from the Città Bassa up to the Città Alta. Easier than walking, and the views on the way up are spectacular.

Walk down the quiet narrow streets of the old town.

Walk along the city walls for views across Lombardy.

Visit one of the several church and art galleries.

Stroll in one of the pedestrian streets and enjoy shops and cafes.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Get out

Other places of interest around Bergamo

San Vigilio - a small hilltop village offering walks with spectacular views, and a ruined castle.

The Bergamo area is in the foothills of the Alps, and has a handful of ski resorts within a one-hour drive.

Lake Iseo, one of the smallest and less touristy among the Northern Italian lakes.

External links

Comune di Bergamo (http://www.comune.bergamo.it/) - official site of the City (in Italian).